Footwear



Oct. 12, 1954 Filed Dec. 11, 1951 M. SACHS FOOTWEAR M BY 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. A-XWELL SACHS,

AiTOR NEY Oct. 12, 1954 SACHS 2,691,227

FOOTWEAR Filed Dec. 11, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2.

. IN V EN TOR. MAXWELL SACHS, BY

AT QRNEY ber attached Patented Oct. 12, 1954 aterzzi ICE FOOTWEAR Maxwell Sachs, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

1951, Serial No. 242,481,

Application August 18 which is a continuati on of application Serial No. 201,996, December 21, 1950, now abandoned.

This application 261,035

Claims. (01. 3658.5)

My invention relates to footwear and to means for adding to the comfort and assisting the flexing thereof. This application is a continuation and amplificationof my co-pending applications No. 201,996, filed" December 21, 1950, and No. 242,481, filed August 18, 1951, which applications are now abandoned. I accomplish the objective of assisting the flexing by means of a member including elastic material and attached to the sole structure forwardly and rearwardly of a portion of the sole structure in the region of the ball and bridging that portion during at least one or more flexed positions, or degrees of flexure, of the sole structure in that region. The member extends over a portion of the sole which is under the position of the foot. By attaching the member so that it is in a stretched condition at least when the sole is unfiexed, I can enable it to exert a pull assisting and adding liveliness to the flexing. In the case of a new unflexed sole with a strong initial resistance to flexing, the flexing force of the member will come into fuller play after the sole has had its initial bending.

Especially when a materialamount of open space exists between a bridging portion of the member and a bridged portion of the sole structure, the foot experiences a comfortable yieldingly springy feeling when it presses against the member. This feature is advantageous apart from aswell as in conjunction with the flexing function of the member. It can also be employed for the unflexed position of the footwear alonewithout regard to the behaviour of the member when the footwear is flexed.

Inasmuch as the member extends over and bridges a part of the sole structure which is under the foot, the member will be referred to herein as .an finsole member, without regard to its construction or the proportion of the sole structure over which it extends.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown embodiments of my invention illustrating these and other of its novel features and advantages.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows comparative plan views of a conventional insole member and of an insole member in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a side view of a shoe in a flexed posltion, partially sectioned to show an insole memin accordance with my invention, and v Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but with the shoe in an unfiexed position.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, reference is made to Fig. 1 in which I have shown'comparative plan views of a conventional insole member, indicated generally at Ill, and of an insole member in accordance with my invention, indicated generally at ll. Insole member II is shown to have an elastic section I2 December 11, 1951, Serial No.

attached forwardly at [3 to inelastic material 14 and rearwardly at i5 to inelastic material [6, the positions of attachment being in the area designated generally as H, between the position of the ball i8 and the position of the heel [9. While the entire insole member can be composed of elastic material, the use of inelastic material forwardly and rearwardly is more comfortable for the weight-bearing portions of the foot. wrinkling can be avoided by making the materials sufiiciently sturdy, or by stiffening the areas adjacent to the junctures of the elastic and inelastic materials, as by rows of stitching. The shape and. dimensions as well as the method and positions of attachment of the elastic material can vary. Regardless of the manner in which the elastiematerial is incorporated into the insole member, the important feature is that it have elasticity which is free to function in a manner allowing the insole member to expand and contract lengthwise of the sole structure between the positions of attachment so as to permit a portion of the member to move up and down in a bridged area. The pulling strength of the elastic material can vary along its width. When the side edges of the efiective part of the elastic material run straight and parallel to each other, as shown in the elastic section l2 of Fig. 1, allportions of the elastic material are in the line of pull, and wrinkling of untautened elastic material is avoided.

The conventional insole member ID has a greater length between the position of the ball l8 and the position of the heel [9, the area being indicated generallyat H, than the insole member i l. The conventional insole member Ill and the insole member H are shown as having the same dimensions forwardly and rearwardly respectively of the area ll.

Fig. 2 shows aside view of a shoe 20 in a flexed position, and Fig. 3 shows the shoe 2!] unflexed. The shoe 20 is partially sectioned to show the insole member ll attached forwardly at 2| and rearwardly at 22 to the sole structure 23 so as to bridge the forward shank portionZG, including the upward turn in that shank portion, and so as tobriclge a portion of the generally indicated ball 2?, the insole member being free to move up and down in the area 25. The insole member is shown as having a suspended position above the forward shank portion 26 and above a portion of the ball 21, and as being shorter than the underlying part of the sole structure 23 between the positions of attachment 2! and 22. At 24 is shown the junction between the ball 21 and the generally indicated shank 28. The bridging results from the combination of an upward turn in the sole structure with the relative shortness of the insole member. .While a desirable effect resuIts from the bridging of a shank area, a particularly desirable effect is achieved when the bridging extends over a ball area, where there is an up-and-down movement of a main weightbearin part of the foot during walking.

The pressure of the insole member against the foot, forming a gentle squeeze between the insole member and the upper, helps to prevent the footwear from slipping off the foot.

The bridged area 25 is shown in Fig. 3 as having less open space than in the flexed position of the shoe in in Fig. 2. The characteristics of the bridged area will vary with different types of footwear and with the positions and manner of attachment of the insole member.

some types of footwear, such as scuffers, often have a bend in their sole structure only when in the flexed position, while others, such as womens cuban-heeled shoes, have a bend when in the unflexed position. A bend can vary from a sharp angle to a gradual curvature. The characteristic bridgin by the insole member is with relation to such bends, whether they occur in a flexed or unflexed position or both.

It will be observed that the elastic section l2 of insole member H has a greater dimension lengthwise of the foot when the insole member l is attached to the unflexed shoe 2!! of Fig. 3 than when the insole member H is unattached as in Fig. l. The elastic section 12 is also shown as having a greater dimension lengthwise of the foot in the unflexed shoe 2B of Fig. 3 than in the flexed shoe 28 of Fig. 2. For increased effectiveness in assisting the footwear to flex, the insole member can be so dimensioned and attached that the elastic material is in a stretched condition even when the footwear is flexed to a high degree. The stretching of the insole member will diminish with an increase in the degree to which the footwear is flexed. The reaching of a sagging point will depend on the extent to which the insole member is stretched when the footwear is in an unflexed position.

The stretching feature can be altered to suit the particular objectives. For the comfort ob- J'ective the insole member may bridge without being stretched until the foot is in the footwear and is causing the insole member to stretch by bearing down on the bridging portion. Comfort can be increased, however, by attaching the insole member so that it is always stretched when the footwear is unflexed. The inherent pulling strength of the particular elastic material used will be a consideration in this respect. In general, however, the insole member is more effective when it is taut than when it is sagging.

The insole member shown in the drawings is not intended to restrict the nature of my insole member. The shape and dimensions and other characteristics of my insole member, including the proportion of the sole structure over which it extends, as well as the direction of pull and the method and positions of attachment to, or incorporation into, the sole structure can vary. Detachability at either or both ends can be employed for the elastic material and for the insole member as a whole. The insole member may be combined with an innersole or other sole layer before attachment to the footwear.

Compensating or cushioning thicknesses can be used in various positions, for comfort or other purposes. For instance, foam rubber can be placed over the forward and rearward material and under the midsection.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that footwear fitted with an insole member having elasticity and bridging in accordance with my invention will bemore comfortable and will stay more readily with the foot in walking.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: V 1. In an article of footwear, a sole structure including a forward shank portion having an upward turn in the direction of the heel end,

and an insole member attached to said sole structure at positions forwardly and rearwardly of said forward shank portion, and between said positions said member including elastic material and being shorter than the underlying part of said sole structure when not depressed by the foot of a wearer.

2. In an article of footwear, a sole structure including a forward shank portion having an upward turn in the direction of the heel end, and an insole member attached to said sole structure at positions forwardly and rearwardly of said forward shank portion and including in its length between said positions a portion of inelastic material and a portion of elastic material, one of said portions of material being forwardly of the other, and between said positions of attachment a part of said member having a bridging position in relation to said upward turn when not depressed by the foot of a wearer.

3. In an article of footwear, a sole structure including a forward shank portion having an upward turn in the direction of the heel end, and an insole member attached to said sole structure at positions forwardly and rearwardly of said forward shank portion and including elastic material in at least part of its length between said positions, and between said positions said sole structure including a ball portion and said member being shorter than the underlying part of said sole structure with apart of said member havin a suspended position above an area of saidupward turn and above an area of said ball portion of said sole structure when not depressed by the foot of a wearer.

4. In an article of footwear, a sole structure including a forward shank portion having an upward turn in the direction of the heel end, and an insole member attached to said'sole structure at positions forwardly and rearwardly of said forward shank portion and including in its length between said positions a ball portion of inelastic material and a shank portion including elastic material, and between said positions said sole structure including a ball portion and said member being shorter than the underlying part of said sole structure with a part of said member having a suspended position above an area of said upward turn and above an area of said ball portion of said sole structure when not depressed by the foot of a wearer.

5. In an article of footwear, a sole structure including an insole member attached thereto at positions forwardly and rearwardly of the junction between the shank and the ball, and between structure with a part of said member having a' suspended position above a forward shank pertion of said sole structure when said footwear is in a flexed position. I

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain May 21, 191i 

